Nowadays, highways are something we have a tendency to take for granted. But it really wasn’t so long ago that the idea of interstate travel would have blown people’s minds. The first few years that cars were around, it was far more convenient to ride a train somewhere. Roads were in poor condition, and asphalt and concrete didn’t exist. The idea of an intercontinental road was a virtual impossibility.

All that changed in 1912 when an Indiana businessman named Carl G. Fisher developed the idea of a cross-country highway. Fisher was a brilliant salesman and started the nation's first automobile dealership.
Bain News Services, N.Y.C./Wikimedia Commons
Fisher called his creative project "the Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway" and estimated the cost at about 10 million dollars. The cost would be paid through auto manufacturers and cities that were along the route.
Historic American Buildings Survey/Wikimedia Commons
Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company refused to support the highway, believing that the public should fund public roadways. Fisher ended up getting the money elsewhere.
Chris Light/Wikimedia Commons
The presidents of Goodyear and the Packard Motor Car Company both supported the project.

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In the end, the route was designated the Lincoln Highway. Fisher believed that a transcontinental highway was a wonderful and patriotic tribute to President Lincoln.
Wikimedia Commons
A route was decided that would run through 13 states and over 3,000 miles. The route avoided major cities so as to minimize traffic.
Believe it or not, the route's start was right here in New York City at Times Square. The highway ran all the way through the country to San Francisco.
Randy Lemoine/Flickr
The U.S. Numbered Highway System was devised in 1926 and at that point, the Lincoln Highway was largely reorganized and replaced.
Peetlesnumber1/Wikimedia Commons
Most of the original Lincoln Highway is now Route 30. The main transcontinental road from New York City to San Francisco is now Interstate 80. This sign at 42nd and Broadway memorializes the Lincoln Highway today.
The Lincoln Highway marks an important accomplishment in the early days of the automotive industry.
New Jersey Chapter of the Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway Association holds annual conferences and organizes tours so that history fans can take a ride down parts of this historic highway.

The history of this highway is so interesting! If you would like to learn more, check out the Lincoln Highway Association website.

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